[tooseevee]

Yes, well a previous owner had an electronic ignition mounted on my 2005, type unknown. I had been pretty happy about this. Now I'm not so sure. While I have had the odd kickback or three in the 5,000 or so miles I've put on her, the battery, which I often check before riding after more than a few days' rest and often gets pampered with a little 1 1/2 Volt solar battery tender, typically weighs in at 12.7 or 12.8 Volts cold.

I always start lights off (having yanked out that mandated dogbone connector over here that kept them "always on", making the light switch a "nuttin' button") to reduce draw, stop the engine with simultaneous use of the decompressor and kill switch (as "Ace" had suggested), run Type F ATF in the primary with a bit extra for the sprag, and rarely ever even use the starter. In short, that sprag has been so pampered on my watch that if it went tits up on mine, then it's safe to say it was designed to go tits up.

        All of that said (and believe me, I sympathize with your predicament) we still have to reiterate (what Adrian said) that THE No. 1 Big Important Thing with an AVL is to have the most top-notch battery possible all the time.

          If the battery is not up to snuff, it cannot crank the starter powerfully enough to get the piston over that magic TDC point, the piston WILL be driven back down Backwards and that is what the Big Bad Horrible Noise is.

           I do not doubt for an instant that there are AVLs sitting in back rooms or garages out there whose owners have destroyed the sprag by continuing to crank when the battery is just barely able to gasp out one more little nudge and Klank! and continuing to do it again. And again. And again. And then they blame anything other than their dumb selves and badmouth the bike.

       I don't think there are many of us left out there anyway so so what? Mine still works fine when I use it, but I must say I have a very low mileage bike and have been a kickstarter my whole life. The Enfield is the first E/S I've ever owned and we knew already that the Sprag was the weak point to be babied (and never used if possible). 

[pushrod]

The iron barrel Bullets were not designed for electric starters and there is the problem. Electric start was added as an afterthought. They were not designed for left shift either and that was another half assed solution to an nonexistent problem. The IB Bullets are best used as they were originally designed as a kick start right shift bike. Most people today want electric start motorcycles and that is why they developed the UCE bikes.
I purposely sought a kick only model when I decided to get a Bullet not because of E/S failures but I wanted one close to the old British bikes. I converted it to right shift as the left shift was US mandated crap and didn't shift worth a dam. It is what it is now and I love it for what it is. Good luck with your repair what ever you decide to do.

[Bilgemaster]

        All of that said (and believe me, I sympathize with your predicament) we still have to reiterate (what Adrian said) that THE No. 1 Big Important Thing with an AVL is to have the most top-notch battery possible all the time.

          If the battery is not up to snuff, it cannot crank the starter powerfully enough to get the piston over that magic TDC point, the piston WILL be driven back down Backwards and that is what the Big Bad Horrible Noise is.

           I do not doubt for an instant that there are AVLs sitting in back rooms or garages out there whose owners have destroyed the sprag by continuing to crank when the battery is just barely able to gasp out one more little nudge and Klank! and continuing to do it again. And again. And again. And then they blame anything other than their dumb selves and badmouth the bike.

       I don't think there are many of us left out there anyway so so what? Mine still works fine when I use it, but I must say I have a very low mileage bike and have been a kickstarter my whole life. The Enfield is the first E/S I've ever owned and we knew already that the Sprag was the weak point to be babied (and never used if possible).

I've often said the AVL has one of the handsomest engines there is, but of course mine's a humble Iron Barrel. Your point's well taken though about the importance of tip-top battery state for the starter, regardless of model, but again, my batt's fine. Coming from the Sailing thing, where obsessive care for one's house batteries is a common characteristic, I probably measure the state of mine far more than most. In fact, I had taken the multi-meter to it that very day before even firing it up. Besides which, I didn't use the starter at all that day...hadn't used it in more than a month, and then only as a test after a good long run, as I'll do from time to time with clutch engaged just to keep it limber, but really that time just to show a fellow who was interested in the bike. No problem.

That starter decided to start acting up and getting all "grabby" all on its own. I cannot speak for its treatment during its first 4,200 miles or so by its previous owner(s?). I'm fairly certain the fellow I bought it from rarely ever or perhaps never kickstarted the thing, as I do. At least, when he showed it to me he only used the electric leg. But on my watch the thing's been pampered and very seldom used. The fact that it then shat the bed all the same without even being used that day gives me, I believe, every right to complain, and yes, "blame" that starter and its cockeyed design. Indeed! Once I've extracted its offending sprag lumpage, I shall summon up and visit upon it all the Demons of Heck, seal it in a sarcophagus with pharonic invective inscriptions, and cast it into yon furthest dankest corner of my garage along with those clogged steamship parts and radio tubes (Why the heck can't I ever just throw shit out?)...

How the Bilgemaster might appear
in full Springtime ceremonial regalia
exorcising the demons from his 2005 Bullet 500ES
Henceforth to be known as a "500ES"

[Adrian II]

(Why the heck can't I ever just throw shit out?)

An essential trait for a Bullet owner, surely? 

A.

[Arizoni]

Before you get your skivvies in too tight of a knot, your sprag clutch might have been showing its feminine side and just having, "one of those moments".

It's possible that during the shut down the crank did try to rotate backwards and caused the sprags to engage.  Then, when you tried to kick it over, some of the sprags decided to hang onto the crankshaft so the starter motor started to rotate.
With a few more kicks, they finally released their grip and all was well.

This doesn't mean the sprag clutch is on its last legs.  It's just something that occasionally can happen from time to time.

Now, if you heard a loud crunching, grinding, crackling sound, THEN you could worry. 
For now, just ride your RE and enjoy.

[Bilgemaster]

Before you get your skivvies in too tight of a knot, your sprag clutch might have been showing its feminine side and just having, "one of those moments".

It's possible that during the shut down the crank did try to rotate backwards and caused the sprags to engage.  Then, when you tried to kick it over, some of the sprags decided to hang onto the crankshaft so the starter motor started to rotate.
With a few more kicks, they finally released their grip and all was well.

This doesn't mean the sprag clutch is on its last legs.  It's just something that occasionally can happen from time to time.

Now, if you heard a loud crunching, grinding, crackling sound, THEN you could worry. 
For now, just ride your RE and enjoy.

Man, Arizoni...I can't tell you how much my lazy ass wants to hear that and believe. And no, I sensed no "crunching, grinding or crackling" sound...just the whirring of the starter motor while kickstarting, and then that ceased and did not recur the two times I've tried kicking it over since then with the ignition off--once hot, once cold.

What with the frigid weather not exactly being conducive to happy zen-like maintenance, I'm really tempted to take your advice, and let it ride until some re-occurance of the "grabby weirdness" forces my hand...Or at least kick that can down the road with maybe a good quick looksee and cleaning out of the primary, and whatever I can reach. My original working hunch was that some swarf or other crudlet had goobed up the works somehow.

Does anyone else concur with Arizoni, I wonder?

[Bilgemaster]

The weather finally allowed for a merely semi-shivery but at least dry looksee into the primary this afternoon. Sadly, it seems Arizoni's optimism about the sprag is probably not borne out in my ride's case. Not only did I fish out several chunklets of metal, which I assume must be bits of sprag race (see attached pix--corroborating comments welcome), but after buttoning it all back down it started acting up again with the kickstart dragging along the starter motor. Hence, I suppose the next stretch of fine weather will find me yanking it all apart to extract that starter sprag gear cluster.

I never needed any special tools for this sort of thing with the Nortons I've had, except for the clutch spring-compressor tool with the Commando. Should I be sourcing anything fancy like special pullers for the Enfield to make my life easier? Tips, links or Harbor Freight options would be most welcome.

[ace.cafe]

Shouldn't need anything special, except a strip of cereal box cardboard to set the stator gap upon reassembly.

The front sprocket can be a fiddle to get out sometimes, but it will come out.

You will typically need to alternately inch the primary sprockets off their shafts because there is very little flex in the primary chain.

[Adrian II]

This has of course been the bane of Electra-X owners for some time.

One of the regulars on the French forum took some pictures of his primary tear-down a few years back, which might be helpful if I can load the pdf attachment. Note the different alternator and the large nut holding the engine sprocket, which your iron barrel won't have, otherwise it's pretty much the same.

Hope this helps.

A.

[heloego]

Nice .pdf!Saved to file and it'll be nice to have when it's time for my Electra.
Thanks for sharing!

[Bilgemaster]

Well, I finally got her all buttoned back up. That turned out to be WAY more of a pain in the ass "learning experience" than I'd thought it might be...mostly a self-inflicted one. Still, she's once again fine and dandy, the choicest riding weather's now on tap, and so I'm a happy guy.

Time to roll out the Zuendapp Bella scooter for the final once over before hitting the streets again after her quarter century slumber.

[pushrod]

Congrats, glad to hear you got er done and back on the road for the good riding weather

[ace.cafe]

Well done.

[Bilgemaster]

Well done.

Actually, if it had been truly "well done", I'd have had her back on the road last week. It just seemed like everything I touched turned into yet another job, like ever-multiplying dragon's teeth. Still, I'm off for a nice ride in an hour or so, so all is well.

Seeing as I no longer need that electrical lead to the starter, I'm wondering if I might not use it and its handlebar button for one of those stupid Harbor Freight Ah-Oo-Gah horns I have sitting around here somewhere...

"It's OK, Fred. It's not your fault he got it done. You did your best."

[Adrian II]

A more subtle use of the now-redundant starter button would be as the calibration/re-set button for one of these, a friend of mine has just done this on his formerly electric-start Bullet.



http://www.puca.co/productC.html

A.